Maps

I have this sort of cheesy belief in reoccurring themes - images and lessons that keep coming back to me. It's one of the many meanings behind my tattoo (an infinity symbol on the back of my kneck) - this belief in return and cycles.  Anyway, one of my themes or favorite things so far in life is maps and directions. Growing up, I couldn't get lost. I have a specific memory of directing my family around Hawaii (as a 10 year old) when they'd made a wrong turn - against my direction. My older brother would ask me to go places with him just because he wasn't 100% sure where he was going. My friends here in SoKo know just to follow me and my google maps. I feel unsettled when I don't know where the cardinal directions are at any given moment. Once I got my iPhone all set up here in Korea, I felt so much more comfortable simply because I could map where I was. I couldn't necessarily READ the maps, but I could figure some more things out.

So, with that in mind, I spend a significant amount of time on Google Maps - looking up new restaurants, finding different routes to the same places I frequent, learning more about countries I dream of visiting, giving people directions, etc. I discovered some time this winter that I could Street View my school AND my apartment! The street views are from 2009, but it's still my Gu (the word for district/area). I thought I'd share little snippets of my gu witchoo, in case you wondered what my daily life looks like.


This is my school and this is my apartment. To those of you who are new to the wonders of Google Maps, look down at the bottom right corner of the map. There should be a little yellow man. Click on him, and drag him to the spot on the map I've indicated. It'll show you a street view of the location! Ba-Boom!

If you're a geo/directional weirdo like me, check this out: http://geoguessr.com/
Such a solid time waster. SO interesting!


Second on my list of random thoughts I considered worth sharing:
I was reading this post earlier today and thought it was really well written. I don't identify with everything written there, but I think it's great. I've been thinking a lot about #8 on that list - what it means to be a foreigner. Even though I grew up in white suburbia, I still lived in a fairly diverse city. I am now used to it, but for a while when I moved here I found myself surprised at how rarely I saw someone who isn't Korean (who doesn't work at my school). I live outside of the city center where you might see more foreigners. What I find totally interesting is that Seoul has a foreigner area - not a China Town, little Italy, Russian area, etc... just one area for all (there are some exceptions). So, if you want to eat non korean (or koreanized) food or see non korean people... chances are you'll have to go to Itaewon. It was a jarring experience at first, walking into a department store and seeing nothing and no one you recognized or identified with. Being foreign, being an outsider, approaching your whole existence as a learner with humility, asking for acceptance.... it's an incredible experience. Jerry Jones wrote in the blog post above, "It ain't always pretty. In fact it's often quite messy" and I couldn't agree more. Some days it's unendingly frustrating (these days usually have a lot to do with how much I've used a sidewalk... AGH!), and some days it's so blasé and normal. Either way, it's humbling. It's eye opening. Most of all, it's invaluable.


Third on my list of random thoughts I considered worth sharing:
8th period rolls around every week day and it's always an experience. 20 Korean(ish) high schoolers, their stringed instruments, and me. It happens on the daily. Recently they've been coming in and they've been nosier. Band kids are notoriously loud... and choir kids have a bit of reputation as well... but string kids are just a weird breed (in my opinion). The band teacher and choir teacher have come into my room at the beginning of class or right before the bell rings and have been struck with how quiet my students are. Not anymore! I think it's that AP tests are done and seniors only have 9 school days left (OH MY GOD, WHAT?!). Kids are getting antsy. Anyway.... it really hit me this last week that I'm going to miss my nuggets. I think that I will be in Minnesota this summer, really enjoying the low population density, the company of my family and friends, salty food, and the license to sing loudly in a car I'm driving..... and suddenly a pang of missing SoKo and my Korean kids will hit me. At some point, I'm going to want to be back in my 8th period class, hanging out with my awesome students, making music. It always goes this way, I think. As a teacher, I think you're supposed to get attached to kids. I'm not their parent... but it sort of feels like it (some days more than others). They have a way of wiggling their into your heart. I remember having so much trouble with this class of junior boys... ugh.. the frustration. Now, with three weeks left in the school year... they and I have both realized how much we'll miss each other if they can't be in orchestra next year (which is pretty likely going to happen with this crew and their scheduling issues). I believe I wrote about this earlier in the year - I thought when I moved to SoKo, it'd be the end of the goodbyes. WRONG! I learned in the winter that I needed to be preparing to say goodbye to my colleagues as they looked for new positions for the coming school year... and now I'm learning that I have to say goodbye to some of the people I spend my every day with. The people I essentially came here for (besides myself). I'm here because students want to learn. I'm here specifically because those 20 kids want to be in orchestra. I get up and go to school every day because those 60 kids (K-12) love music, and I have the joy of planning that little piece of their lives. And now it's almost time to say goodbye. What a journey it's been. First year of teaching, almost done. Holy balls, I can't believe it. Someone pinch me. More likely... someone please wake me up because I'll likely be a zombie by the time the end gets here!